ERIC ED092827: Multipotential--A Concept for Career Decision Making.

DOCOHENT BESUHE

ED 092 827

CG 008 973

AUTHOfi
TITLE

PUB DATE
NOTE

Fredrickson, Ronald H.; Ai^d Others
Hultipotential*-A Concept for Career Decision
Making.
Apr 74

12p.; Paper presented dt the Annual Convention of the
American Personnel and Guidance Association (New
Orleans, Lpuisiana, April 1974)

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DESCEIPTOES

MF-$C.75 HC-$1.50 PLUS POSTAGE

Career Change; *Career Choice; ^Counseling; *Guidance
Programs; Occupational Choice; Occupational Guidance;
♦Occupational Mobility; Program Descriptions;
Secondary School Students; Speeches; * Vocational
Counseling

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a guidance program for students
ifho are multipotential people , i.e., they are able to adapt
themselves and develop the necessary specific skills tp perform well
in a variety of occupations. The author disputes t^e traditional
method of counseling vherein the counselor attempts to identify
single talents of the counselee. Instead, he contends ithat today
there is a premium on adaptability in today's vorld of vprk. Shifting
manpower needs, the geographic mobility of industry, and automation
all contribute to the importance of an need for vocational
adaptai)ility among today's vork force at all levels,. Research in the
area of vocations has more often focused on permanence of choice
rather than mobility and transiti^on betveen occupational choices.:
Although, according to Super, **each person has the pot.ential for
success and satisfaction in a stated number of occupations,** research
in this area has been sadly lacking. A career counseling process
which supports the concept of multipotentiality will be better able
to help the client anticipate change in his career coupled with t^he
need to develop other abilities. The author concludes by describing
the multipotential approach as having five phases: (1) rpadiness, (2)
awareness, (3) exploration, (4) reality testing, and (5)
confirmation. (Author/HMV)

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Hultipotential - A Concept: for Career Decision Making

A nex*/ decision snaking approach is called for in which Lhe councelor
o:v:jhiisz±as tfia iniplcir.entritrion or a parcicular occup^iticnnl c ho ice
tind deempha^izcio the process v;hich preceeds the choice.

PvOnald H, Predrickson

Doris J- Rowley

Ellen McKay

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Ronald !l. Fredrickyon is Professor of Educatiion aL tha Un:Lv.2rf;li:y of
Doris J. Rowley and Kllen McKay are graduatic sttidGnLs In counseling .t I

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Multipotenlial - A Coricept for Career Decision !;''il'Jp.f: r^ir-..' , a,

Karry, a high 3chooI Gcnicr is conL-ultini^; \v.lth his counselor about v;iiat
he is G^^-'-^K "^^ vocatiorially ciftur {^raduatic!! , Diiriii^ the prccodinc' years,
Harry has taken a niunber of standard achievement and aptitude tests and inter-
est inventories. They have all shovn that he perfonned above the ^50th percen-
tile on achievement and aptitude tests. V/hilc there v/ere differences among
the individual test results, none seeriied signigicant v/hen the standard error
of measurenient of the tests vas considered. The "flat" test profile, revealed
that :'arry could probably do a v;ido r:M:-:b;f?r c? t^i^lis v^:-'^.! ai^i vav; :\ ro-

flection of past opportunities to develop skills than it vas a future prediction
upon which his career decisions could be made.

The counselor in Harry's junior year had suggested that since he vas
unsure of an occupational choice, he might consider liberal arts in college.
Then while in college, he might find something which he might vish to try
after college graduation.

Harry and his counselor had little opportunity to get together outside
of their annual sessions even though the counselor had wanted to do so. Howr-
ever, a check of his records indicated ?{arry planned to attend college and
enter a general education program which wa.5 considered sufficient as a caz^eer
choice. Once that line in the cujuulative record listing "Future Plans" is
completed, all seems well it: the guidance office.

Harry in this case, is v;hat we call "accident prone" in terns of career
planning* He is uncertain and tests and inventories* have £:lv':-:: hin little
clu2 as to a specific nren he !T:i;:^h?: follow in career d^Jci:;ion-:Tiakiag , lie is
vulnerable to chance happenings and the selecticn of a vjcat': on h-eccrries -js.

of appropriate occupational choice as will be de:r:onrj bratod in this

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article » Mciny individucils can s^eemin^^l;^/ rely on clianco as they are

al)le to adapt themselves and develop the neceisi^ary 'opecific skillti to

perforin well in aljTiost amy occupation. They are in thi:^ .sense laulti-

potential. A multipotential person is defined as any individual v/ho,

when provided with appropriate enviornirients , can. select and develop

any numl)er of competencies to a high level. Further discussion of the

multipotential person may "be found in the book Recognizing and Assist inpc

Multipotential Youth (Fredrickson and Rothney, 19T2).

Genero.lly, career dviclslon !:ia::iri^ has been a iricibtor of id'^n tif ication
of single talents, a narrowing down process. It is time that we look for

different approaches and consider why the concept of multipotentiality

appears valid for the career coiinselor.

Consistency of vocational choice in our society is viewed as a
desirable product of career counseling. Inconsistency is usually accom.panied
by loss of time, loss of financial and educational resources ^ and limited
ultimate achievement.

Inconsistency is usually defined as a change of vocational choice in
which different training is required. Lateral transfer is not generally
possible so it becomes a. matter of starting at a lov;er level in a different
occupational field. Inconsistency of vocational choice could imply the
lack of adequate counseling, the inability to measure talent, or the
planning of a cai'eer which could be executed.

Evaluation of t?ie effectiveness of vocational counseling has customarily
included an h\'T»othcses on the consistency of career plans. The resources
of the individual as well as scoiecy are at sta^.e iu cr:::: c:: no : I e:::jy v: i-i-
I ionol clLci;:^. C:on3.:.:'L^::^cy l'^ ^^•.^:-^pt^:vi as -iex^irahle coa.". it iv. rr^r*:
the basis for society's rationale for training and utili-ziiig career counselors
in schools and agencies.

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Consintoncy of: vocational ciioico is soineuhing lo:\z J^chi[;]:l: aCccr but
seldom achieved. Census\ f if/uras v/ere ustd by llutson (1962) to sliov the
unrealistic number of higt:, scliool students v;ho indicated a proressioual
occupational goal requiring a minimum oE a baccalaureate: de^^ree. From a
sample of 699 senior high school girls, 3S.5 percent sought a professional
goal. The proportion of junior high school girls desiring professional
vocations was 6^k5 percent of 605 sampled. The figures were similar for
boys with 57.8 percent of 623 junior high school boys and 46.4 percent of
817 senior high school boys preferrin:^ profes.'^io:;:ii o-icuu^a tions . Thi;^
exceeds the general population census figures which show that only 12
percent of V7orlcers are in professional fields.

As part of a larger evaluation study on counseling effectiveness,
Schmidt and Rothney (1955) followed 347 students from four V/isconsin
secondary schools through senior high school and six months after graduation
to record consistency of vocational choice. In this unique longitudinal
study, they reported that of the 121 students (35%) who v^ere consistent
during high school, only 81 (23%) entered the preferred occupations. From
those 168 students who were consistent over their junior and senior years,
82 (23%) entered the vocational area of their choice. One v;ould have expected
that choices made in the senior year would more likely be followed six months
after high school but such was not the case. Twenty (41%) of the 48 who
made a decision during their senior year entered that occupation after
high schoo], graduation.

R o s e a r c h e r s w o 7" k i n .-^ w :1 1: h the P r o j e <: f ■ T a 1 c n c D n t a ! > ; i :i \\ p o in t t o 1 n o. v r. s i. s t a n c
in career choices (Flanagan and Cooley, 1966; Flanagan, 1973), Similar In-
consls tenc"lc3 ovei* t Ln-t^ hava b-::j:i I'-jprirted by HoII.-lv!^ iv6j; Iv53;
Warren, 1961; Davis, 1965; and Hind and Wirth in 1969. While the "v;hy" of
the inconsistencies are myriad and illusive to obtain, the explorMtion may

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iio'll be iri tei-ius of beco;ning more i'ealit;t;Lc in cliolcos hwt rather in the

individual ' s adaptability .

Adaptability

The hiunan oi-ganism appears highly adaptable both physically and
psychologically to its enviromrient . Man can live and v.-ork in temperatures
ranging from H5 belovf to 110 degrees above zero. He can v/ork for hours in
the heat of blast furnaces or in the cold of the F.eat packing refrigeration
rooms. Man can vork at sedentary indoor occupations or at hea^-ry outdoor
labnr. Kitson (1925) says that in view^of man's physical adaptability to such
e>:l:>*e.T.e conditionj it 13 absurd to think thab an individual is fit for only
one occupation.

A raore recent study (Bureau of Labor Statistics I96T ) verifies Kitson 's
earlier study. Researchers found that "about 5 1/2 million of the almost 70
million Americans employed in January I966 vere working in an occupation
different from the one they were in in January 1965- Sixty percent of
those who changed were under 35 years of age/'

There is a premium on adaptability in toda,y's world of work. Shifting
manpower needs, the geographic m.obility of industry, and automation all
contribute to the importance of vocational adaptability arricng today ^s work
force at all levels. Today it is not uncommon to find college graduates
as well as the unskilled on the unemployed list. The shifts from rural
to urbe.n living 3 blue collar to white collar, unskilled to technical
occupations, employed to ujiempioyed, change or early reti re::.ent , forty to
thirty hour week, all make adaptability a m.eans of survival.

evidenced in the difficulty employers and governi.ient :-;ervj r,'e5 arc having in

eacoura^iiig vjrk-ii' : to ;;iovo to difl'orcnc parzo c:' zao c:rur:'..ry \::iorL: L;: - wovr.

is located. Need for adaptation comes not only from external manpovrer factors but

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also from inLernal pressures tuul qviestions or p'::i*iDOiiuj. h'lppiiiefjS ,

Research in the nroa of vocation-": has more often fociir-ed on pcrniancnce
of choice rather than vaobility and transition Lctv.'Gcn occupational choices.
Although it is generally understood in career coutiEseling that, as Super
(1953) saysj-.each person lias the potential for success and satisfaction
in a stated number of occupations , research In this area has been sadly
lacking. Dealing more often with consistency of choice tlian with personal
adaptability, one can only cite evidence: people do move fron one job
\: o a n or\ \ e r ; a n 6. people ( 1 o change f r o :r. o r. e v o c :\ 1. 1 c n t o : \ ^ ; o 1 1 \ a r '•: i c h a p p a r e a t
ease.

A career counseling process which supports the notion of miltipoten-
tiality v/ill be better able to help the client learn to expect change in his
career and anticipate the need to develop other abilities. In this way the
individual will be able to control his oxm career plan and direction.

Career Decision Making for the Multipotential

A number of tentative assumptions may be proposed which suggest a multi-
potential approach to career decision making.

1. Individuals appear more variable than consistent in their vocational
choices.

2. The higher the education attained, the less variable the individual
is ir. occupational choice.

3. Individuals appear to be able to adapt to a wide aunber of job re-
quirements and settings. It would appear that it may take just as
• ■iich al.Lli ?:u ^■lr.,'^r lq on.^'^ oi'i;: i a-":: I . i :r:,. v.y..> -jr:--
pare for a different cb.oice.

4. A inultipotentiai individual uuiy seiecc: a vocatif-nru. choice alr.iost

at random and then set out to acquire the qualifications and character-
istics that will make him successful in that caro.cr.

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5. The actual occupuLional cleciiiioii play^J a miiix!.:al role in Ihij totctl
Gclierae of career planninf^. Tiie actual procerus of iiriplernentation

of that decision it; of far more critical importance to the individual.
Kitson (1925) speaks of • . ♦ voccitional life as a pi'ocess of evolubion
in which successful adjustment in one line of v;ork may "be but the
preparation for another more exacting occupation." It is this
successful adjustment vrhich is the result of acquiring the qual-
ifications and characteristics ^necessary for the job chosen and
vhich often :aakes one job a stepping-stone co another,

6. All individual jr.a,y be just as satisfied and sucessful in one occupa.-
tion as another. Evidence about consistency of vocational choice
probably raises more questions than iz answers. However 5 evidonce
seems clear that a sizable majority of our youth change voca.tional
choice or preference at least once before completion of forrr^al
education. Consistency appears related to the nature of the
occupation preferred and the ability and personality of the individual.

The concept of raultipotentiality requires a different exarnination of the
procedures we use as counselors concerned irith career decision malzing. It no
longer appears appropriate to view vocational choice as a funneling or
narrov7ing-down process. The activities of the counselor following the
multipotentis.1 approach :aay be divided into five sequential phases. They
are illustrated in Figure 1.

The plia^Co are a3 follovs:

1. Readiness

2. Awareness

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3. J'lxploration

1;. Kea?Lity Testing

5. Confirmation

■Readinessi the first sta{^e in career deci>3ion making assumes that
choices cannot he iriacic and iiapleiricntod without concurr'snt vocational
matm^ity. Maturity, is that point where 'the indivldua], /^ai.ris the £:ocial,
.physical and ps^/chological acceptance of the responsibility lov irrjle-
menting a career decision.

Too often tha ochool systen tells the individual when he iijhjuld be
ready as he selects subjects ixi the eighth* and ninth grades. These
course selections may preclude other career choices if certain subject
options are not selected at the time. There is usually little oppor-
tunity to go back and pick up these ox^tions in most school prograias.

The counselor and the school system must be sensitive to the degree
to which this readiness may be fostered in terms of the v:orld of work
and living v/ithiii that world. Readiness for vocational choice is th.at
delicate point in time vhen assessmeiit of self and the expectations of
society appear compatible.

Awareness means two different but inseparable things in career developnent-
awareness of self and awareness of the vorld-of-work. Avareness of the
wor Id-o f -wo r k pr o vi de s a mean s to mot i vat e and c ap t i va t e t he i n di v i d ual ^
interest in acquiring the attitudes and skills needed to cevejcp a ::: ?-,inin;T-
ful career. Time laust be pi'ovided for ^he individMal loam ^::;:j'Ju
his o\-a\ va.luasj goals, strengths and wear;iiesGe;^, as woil a-; tliose cJ* othtM-s .

knowledge. This is one of the unique functions the coi:ui:.'elor can provide
in career education programs. Awareness of occupations .'^oes heycru;
Q auick reading of occupaLional hricfs. Av/arcner;s of H f e i. .v! c::^ c rt-irrl.-

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in ceri.a:i.n occupat:i oi*iij it.; :il£;o fi.n iinportant pi'tjrvguir'i bo before fui^t.^ior
exploration can take place.

E xploration is a syatein.atic and planned inauiry into the world of work
vrith a v/ide reviev; and examination of different occupations. A study of
different job specifications and training requ'i renients , labor regulations,
hiring and tenure practices, social security regulations, and an analysis
of job stereotypes would be some of the areas to be included in the explor-
ation period. The final part of the exploration phase would be the selection
of an occupabion by level and field whicli the ind.L vld\htl vjul.l like to
initially enter or test cut. For most vocational counselors this would
be the end of the career decision making sessions - ~ a decision has been
made. Since the individual meets the occupational specifications, it is
recognized as a realisitic choice even though there may be a wide number
of other occupations he may have been equally qualified to select.

Reality-testing of the occupational choice takes place through many means
and is an essential part in finalizing a choice. The individual examines tlie
risks he must take in ord.er to achieve his occupational goal. V/ill he
have the resources and personal drive to achieve that to which he aspires?
The counselor can help the individual realize that meeting certain job
requirements is not enough — power in the form of resources, time, and
personal energy are factors which m.ust be risked to im.plcment the desired
occvipational choice. If risks are determined to be too great by trie
individual, he may go back to exploration and review other occupational

TDarticipation in career oriented extra-curricular activities (i.e.Tealth
Club, j-uturo Business Leaders of America), 5?;;-:-..er Jobs, work--:: tuiy
progra-mc, summer institutes and caifips, and extended field trips are seme
Q " the reality testinr; activities which the ccuni;elor may plan with th'.:

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:i.?vJiiv:i.cl\;ri.l. Tlic extent to \;n;ic]i the coMrKoeloi* can e:r'-?ate •:•.:■] ;1 3vrc\:\:;o v.itli
the individual kinds of experiences v'hich may c:a:ae c.loi't; to re^iCiicvl-iniv
the actual work experience to wliich the individual :u>:'.i rt-rs llic: n:Ore likely
will cai^eer choice he a satiGfactory choice.

Confirmation is viev^ed a^J the particular time in vrhich a career decision .
is confirmed. In this stage ^ the counselor wox^is with, the person in
making his choice a successful one. The counselor with the individual
arranges and pursues the acq^uisition oT knov:ledge aj?,d okills vhich he needii
to prepare for entry into his selected caa'eer area. The school counselor
will need to extend his contacts with the individual beyond school-leaving or
graduation. Follov;-up and scheduled sessions for reviev of pro[>res3 will be
nece5-.sary. Arrangements for special remedial programs my become one of
the counselor's a.ctivities. Involvement v/ith pareats and tea.chers will become
essential as the couiiselor and individual work to maintain a persistent
career plan.

The authors have attempted to demonstrate that a large proportion of our
population is able to cliange occupations apparently without too much difficulty.
This ve believe is a reflection of the m.iiltipotentia.1 nature of the talents
of many individuals. They are seemingly able to either follow their original
choice or change to other choices. A concept of the multipotentiality of '-.he
individual v^ould help the individual to anticipate change:-: and reccgnir.e them
not a.3 failures to measure up to the requirem.enbs of a.r.vrevious choice hut
an avrarenes?^ of his own plasticity and ability to adiipl: ch^^ri^tin:;; vcrld

Summary

of V70i'k.

Figure 1, Career Decision Making Follov/ing a Multipotential Approach

Conf iriT.at ion

Reality Testing

Exploration

Avr^areness

Readiness

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BIRLIOGRAPliY

Davis, James A. UndGr>^;raduatc Career Decision s. Chica^iO: Alcline
Publishing Co^ I965.

Flanagan, John C. Some Pei-tinent Findings of Project Talent.
Vocational Guidance Quarterly, 1973 , 2? ^2--^'^

P'lanagan, John C. and Cooley, V/illiejn V/. Pro.ject Talent One- Year
Fol].ow--up St r egies ( Cooperative p^s c-?arcli ?^^o.i ect '''2333 ) •

Fredrickson, R.H. £ind Rothne:/, J.V/.M., Recognizinr: and As r;ist Inp;
Multipotential Youth , Coliunlius, Ohio, Char].es Merrill, 1972*

Hind, Robert R. and V/irth, Tiip.othy E, The Effect of University
Experience on Occups.tional Choice Among Undergraduates.
Sociology of Education . 1969> ^2,50-69-

Holland, John L. Prediction of Vocational Choice and Achievement.
Psychology Reports . I963, 12, 5^7-59^^-

Hutson, P.V/. Vocational Choices 193O-I96I. Vocational Guidance
Quarterly . 1962, 10, 218-222.

Kitson, Karry Dexter. The Psycholo.;::/ of Vocational Ad.iust-nent .
Philadelphia: J.B.Lippincott Co., 1925-

Kohout, Vernon A. A Longitudinal Study of the Consisuenc y of
Occupational Choice of two Ssir.ples of Youths unpublished
doctoral dissertation. University of Wisconsin, 19o3.

Schmidt, John L. and Rothney, John v/. Variability of Vocational
Choices of High School Students. Personnel and Guida.nce
Journal . 1955, 3^, 1^^2-1)46.

Super, Donald S. A Theory of Vocational Development. American
Psychologist . 1953, 8, 185-190.

U.S. Department oT Labor, Bure<:iu of Labor St rv:;.:.:;t:.cr» , Ocr

Warren, Jonathan P. , fv-:)!!"
Char-*''' in C'/^i "'.cj.::' '-' i
2.961'', 8,.l6h~l69.